A Friend In Me
by Usami
Summary: /songfic/ Set after Jounouchi's duel with Seto on the Duelist Kingdom. Both Jou and Yugi have problems, and both help each other to work them out.


"A Friend in Me" © Toy Story.

**A Friend in Me**

Jounouchi sighed as he stared up at the stars, his back resting against a tree. The damp grass was cooling to his burning hand, his body trembling with suppressed anger. "Damn that Kaiba," he muttered. "Jerk. What a creep."

His hand clenched into a tight fist, a low growl escaping from his throat. "I'd love to get him back sometime. But how the heck can I do that? He has THREE blue eyes white dragons, and even Yugi had a hard time defeating him. Why the heck did I think I could?"

"Jounouchi?" a voice called.

**You've got a friend in me**

Startled, Jounouchi jumped up slightly. He turned his head in the direction of the youthful voice behind him.

It was Yugi.

**You've got a friend in me**

"Oh, hey Yugi," Jounouchi said, scooting over some as the younger boy sat down next to him. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

The boy yawned. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Grandpa."

"You miss him?"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah. A lot. I just can't stop thinking about how Pegasus snatched his soul away."

"Pretty weird."

"I know. And I can't stop thinking about how I'll have to duel Pegasus in order to get him back."

Jounouchi looked at his friend. "You worried about that?" he asked.

The multi-color haired boy looked up at the stars. "Of course I am. The last time I dueled Pegasus, he somehow was able to read every card I had. I couldn't beat him then, and I'm worried that I can't beat him now. And if I don't, then I won't be able to get my grandpa back."

'Man, I had no idea,' the blond thought. 'Yugi seems really worried about this. His duel with Pegasus must have really freaked him out.'

**When the road looks rough ahead  
****And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed**

"Don't worry about it, Yug," Jounouchi replied. "You can beat him, even if he can read your cards."

Yugi looked at him. "You think?"

"I know you can. Listen, no matter how much Pegasus is cheating, you can beat him, because you have a reason worth fighting for. You're dueling to get your grandpa's soul back. That is gonna pull you through the duel. That, and your friends supporting you."

Yugi's violet eyes brightened. "Really?"

Jounouchi chuckled, ruffling the boy's messy hair. "Of course Yugi. You should always know that me and the others will be right their rooting you on."

**You just remember what your old pal said  
****Boy, you've got a friend in me**

The young boy smiled. "Thanks a lot, Jounouchi."

"No problem. That's what friends do, right?"

**Yeah, you've got a friend in me**

Yugi pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around him in an attempt to warm himself up. "Hey, Jounouchi?"

"What's up?"

"What are YOU doing up at this hour? You're usually getting as much sleep as you can."

The blond chuckled, sadder this time. "I was just thinking about something that's bothering me, that's all."

**You've got a friend in me**

"What's bothering you so much that you can't get to sleep?"

Jounouchi sighed. "I don't really feel like talking about it, Yugi."

"You know, Jounouchi, it might help to talk about things that upset you. I mean, the problem will only get worse if you don't talk to someone."

He shrugged. "I dunno."

"I'm just trying to help you, Jounouchi," Yugi said meekly.

**You've got a friend in me**

Jounouchi exhaled loudly. "I was just thinking about my duel with Kaiba a few hours ago."

"What about it?"

"I. . . . . . .I dunno, Yug. What if I'm just fooling myself with this whole Duelist Kingdom thing? What if I'm not really cut out to duel here?"

"But you're doing just fine, Jounouchi."

"Maybe I'm just lucky. I dunno."

**If you've got troubles,  
****I got them too**

"It's not luck, Jounouchi. You're doing a great job here."

"I dunno, Yugi. I just don't know anymore."

Yugi bit his bottom lip. 'His duel with Seto must have really shaken his confidence. He's really doubting himself this time. And he was just beginning to believe in himself as a true duelist.'

"Maybe I should just drop out," Jounouchi whispered.

"You can't do that, Jounouchi! If you do that, how will you help Shizuka?"

"I dunno."

'He's seems to have lost his faith. How can I convince him otherwise?'

**There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you  
****We stick together, we can see it through  
****'Cause you've got a friend in me  
****Yeah, you've got a friend in me**

"I mean, what was I thinking when I was dishing out one monster after another for him to defeat!" Jounouchi berated himself. "One after another, he defeated everyone of my monsters, while I only defeated one of his. He even destroyed my red eyes black dragon.

"Kaiba is the international champion of Duel Monsters. He could think of so many strategies to defeat his opponents. All I've been doing is drawing card for card, hoping I'll get lucky. If anything would have gone wrong, I would've probably panicked. I wouldn't know what to do. Whereas Kaiba would've probably had some back-up strategy."

Jounouchi rubbed his knuckles where Seto had grabbed him and tossed him aside. It had hurt a lot. Not hitting the ground, but Seto's grip on his hand.

**Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am  
****Bigger and stronger too**

"You're wrong, Jounouchi," Yugi said.

The taller boy looked at him. "What?"

"I said, you're wrong."

**Maybe**

"Seto has really powerful cards, and he can think of great strategies, but you're just as good as he is."

Jounouchi scoffed. "Yeah right."

"I'm serious. You're just as good as he is, because you trust in the heart of the cards. That really helps you when you're in a jam. You're also fighting for a good cause, to help your sister, Shizuka.

"Not only that," he added, looking at the blond, "but you have the people you really care about, and who really care about you, by your side, cheering on, telling you to do your best."

**But none of them will ever love you the way I do  
****It's me and you boy**

Jounouchi stared at the boy, then smiled. "Thanks, Yugi. That means a lot to me."

"There's no reason for you to doubt yourself, Jounouchi," Yugi said. "We'll be here with you every step of the way."

The blond nodded, holding out his hand to the other. "You're the best, man."

Yugi grasped at his friend's hand. "So are you, Jounouchi."

**And as the years go by  
****Our friendship will never die  
****You gonna see it's our destiny  
****You got a friend in me**

Jounouchi stood, yawning. "Well, I feel better. You're right, Yugi. I dunno what I was thinking."

"You were just feeling a little down because of your duel with Seto," Yugi said. "But don't worry about it. You'll do fine, you'll see."

The taller boy nodded. "I'll take your word for it. With you there with me, there's no way I can lose."

Yugi smiled. "Right."

"I'm gonna hit the sack. You coming?"

"Nah. I think I'll stay here a little longer." Jounouchi shrugged, then headed back to camp.

Yugi lay back, gazing up at the stars again. "As long as my friends are with me, there's no way I can lose. My friends are gonna be there for me, no matter what."

**You got a friend in me  
****Yeah, you got a friend in me**

**The End**


End file.
